Headlamp for personal watercraft

ABSTRACT

A novel headlamp for installation onto a personal watercraft, such as a jet-ski, is disclosed and includes a housing, a lamp, and a wiring harness, for substantially watertight installation onto a cowling of a personal watercraft. The housing further includes a contoured base for fitting the housing onto the cowling, and a gasket for installation in between the housing and the cowling. The wiring harness is connected to the power supply of the personal watercraft and a backup battery may be included within the housing to allow the headlamp to be powered at times when the personal watercraft is not running.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING GOVERNMENTALLY FUNDED WORK

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a headlamp for personal watercraft.More particularly, the present invention relates to a kit for a headlampthat can be mounted onto existing personal watercraft.

The subject of personal watercraft entails different types of boat-likeproducts that have become popular within the last two decades. These maybe called a number of names and may be distinguished by differentfeatures, and include products that are known as jet skis, wave runnersor sea-doos. Generally speaking, the term “personal watercraft” seems tocover the field and would include versions of watercraft that may carryone, two or perhaps even three people at a time. For the purposes of thepresent invention, the personal watercraft of interest are those thatfit such categories but which do not typically come supplied with thegear and hardware that would normally be associated with a boat.

It has been noted that personal watercraft are not supplied with anighttime running system. This may be due to regulations in some partsof the country where personal watercraft are not allowed to be operatedat all after dark. In other circumstances it may be that themanufacturers of personal watercraft have decided against supplying suchunits with nighttime running lights or headlamps so as to avoidencouraging this type of operation. Nonetheless, it has been observedthat owners of personal watercraft do operate their units at nighttimeand at other times when nighttime running lights or headlamps would beof some importance and utility.

For whatever reasons the personal watercraft manufacturers may have hadin not providing running lights or headlamps of any kind, there hasremained a long standing problem associated with this particular lack ofequipment. Attempts have been made in the prior art to satisfy thislong-felt need, for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,601 (Nester) disclosesfront and rear mounted posts with lamps mounted thereon to serve asrunning lights. These lights are meant to provide notice to otherwatercraft and do not provide the operator any forward lighting fordriving purposes.

Another after market light system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,595,441 (McGee) and teaches a handlebar assembly, primarily directedtowards bicycles, that has an integral safety light. In U.S. Pat. No.6,499,867 (Neal) an after market running light for a boat is shown whichincludes a headlamp and where the whole assembly is affixable to boat bymeans of a C-clamp. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,915 (von Wolske) accessorylights are taught that can be mounted on a boat where the lights arehoused in an adjustable mounting. In an instance where a set of runninglights are associated with a personal watercraft, U.S. Pat. No.5,488,361 (Perry) teaches a set of such lights that are attached to alife preserver and worn by the user. Lastly, in U.S. Design Pat. No.D300,865 (Belletire, et al) reveals a boat light that is comprised of atriangular shaped housing.

The prior art does not teach the use of an after market light kit forestablishing a headlamp on a personal watercraft. The considerations fora headlamp are different from those associated with running lights. Asthe terms are used herein, running lights will refer to the combinationof lights that are used to establish a boat's front, rear, and port andstarboard sides. These come in combinations of white, red and greenlights and are not focused beam lights but are intended instead tomerely give notice to other boaters of the presence and generalwhereabouts of the boat displaying the running lights. In contrast,headlamps are intended primarily for the benefit of the user of awatercraft and project a beam of light in the general direction oftravel of the boat. Headlamps function to light the path ahead so as toallow the user to avoid hitting any debris or obstructions along theway. Headlamps are usually more powerful and as a result they areusually comprised of larger lamps and require more robust wiring. Inaddition, considerations as to where a headlamp may be mounted are muchmore critical since the housing must be oriented to allow the beam tobroadcast ahead of the user.

The lack of headlamps for personal watercraft represents not only aninhibiting factor with respect to even limited nighttime usage, but italso represents a safety concern since there are many occasions when theheadlamp would be useful outside of nighttime running. Thesedeficiencies are overcome through the use of the present invention whichwill be discussed in more detail herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A novel headlamp and kit for a personal watercraft comprises a contouredhousing for the watertight enclosing of a lamp, a wiring harness, and abattery backup, where the base of the housing generally conforms to thecowling of a personal watercraft and attaches thereto. The headlamp ofthe present invention provides a focused beam and is oriented toilluminate the pathway in front of the personal watercraft.

In one version of the present invention, a battery backup is supplied inorder to allow select illumination from the headlamp at times when theengine of the personal watercraft is not running or when the electricaloutput from the personal watercraft engine is impaired or too low toadequately power the headlamp.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a personal watercraft with a headlamp ofthe present invention installed on the cowling.

FIG. 2 is a partial isometric view of the headlamp of FIG. 1, shown incloser detail.

FIG. 3 is the isometric view of FIG. 2 in exploded form showing theheadlamp kit assembly as mounted on the cowling of a personalwatercraft.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the headlamp kit of FIG. 2, takenalong section lines 4-4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The headlamp of the present invention is shown in the drawings,generally in FIGS. 1 and 2, the headlamp 20 is shown on a personalwatercraft 10 (sometimes termed a “jet ski”) where the personalwatercraft includes a cowling 12, a seat 14, and handle bars 16. Theheadlamp 20 includes a lamp lens 22, a housing 24, mounting flanges 26,gasket 28, and mounting bolts 30. The headlamp 20 is divided between theheadlamp front 32 and the headlamp rear 34. As can be seen in FIGS. 3 &4, the mounting bolts 30 include the bolt head 36, the bolt shaft 38 andthe nut 40. On the mounting flanges 26 are the flange mounting holes 50and on the cowling 12 are the cowling mounting holes 54. In between themounting flanges 26 and the cowling 12, the gasket 28 includes thegasket mounting holes 52.

On the gasket 28 there is the gasket conduit hole 56 that is aligned(when installed) with the cowling conduit hole 58 located on the cowling12. In particular in FIG. 4, the wiring harness 60 is seen, with thebackup battery 62, the backup battery leads 64, the lamp 66 whichincludes the lamp front 68 and the lamp base 70, the lamp housing 72,the lamp socket 74 and the lamp leads 76.

In use, the typical personal watercraft 10 does not come equipped with aheadlamp of any type. The reasons why this is so are not clear,nonetheless, it is known that there are times when the user of a jet-skimay find themselves on the water under conditions when the use of aheadlamp would be useful not only for lighting the way ahead, but alsoas a safety device for showing the location of the personal watercraft10 to other boaters. The owner of the personal watercraft 10 may, withthe availability of the present invention, now add a headlamp to his/herunit as a convenient and easy-to-install retrofit.

As may be best viewed in FIG. 3, the headlamp 20 of the presentinvention is mountable onto the cowling 12 of a typical personalwatercraft 10. This results, in part, from the contoured shape of themounting flanges 26 of the headlamp 20 which follow a slightly curvedconfiguration. Since many cowlings 12 have a similarly curvedconfiguration it is possible in most cases for the headlamp 20 to fitcompatibly on many of the existing models in a manner that ensures aleak proof installation when the gasket 28 is inserted in between themounting flanges 26 and the cowling 12. It also helps to have themounting bolts 30 to draw down the headlamp 20 when the nuts 40 aretightened. The mounting bolts 30 are typically inserted into the flangemounting holes 50, the gasket mounting holes 52 and the cowling mountingholes 54. The flange mounting holes 50 and the gasket mounting holes 52are typically pre-drilled or formed, however, the cowling mounting holes54 need to be drilled by the installer of the headlamp 20. The placementof the cowling mounting hole 54 will dictate the location of theheadlamp on the cowling 12 thus the fit between the cowling 12 and theheadlamp 20 needs to be gauged by the installer before committing. Ifthe fit looks acceptable, a template may be provided so the installercan coordinate the location each of the cowling mounting holes 54 whendrilling commences. Lastly, it is possible to apply a sealant such as acaulk between the headlamp 20 and the gasket 28, or the gasket 28 andthe cowling 12 as may be needed.

The headlamp 20 comes pre-wired in the preferred embodiment and it ismerely a matter of tapping into the existing wiring of the personalwatercraft 10 to power up the headlamp 20. As shown in FIG. 4, thewiring harness 60 supplies power from the personal watercraft 10 to theheadlamp assembly, both to power the lamp 66 while the personalwatercraft 10 is being used, but also to supply power to the backupbattery 62 so that the lamp 66 can remained powered when the personalwatercraft 10 is not running. It is preferred to include an on/offswitch (not shown) which for the headlamp 20 so that it can be turned onby the user when warranted. This would allow the headlamp 20 to beselectively lit when the personal watercraft 10 is not running. Theswitch may be placed in a spot that is convenient for use such as on thehandlebars 16 or on any surface within reach of the user.

The actual lamp 66 that may be used for the applications of the presentinvention is left up to one skilled in the art although it is preferablethat one of the low voltage lamps normally used in recreational unitssuch as ATVs, motorcycles and motorbikes, snowmobiles and the like wouldbe logical components for consideration. The lamp housing 72 in enclosedinside the housing 24 and it is understood that the assembly inclusiveof the lamp lens 22, the gasket 28 are all preferably watertight inorder to keep the components free from damage or short circuits. Thegasket 28 also serves to protect the finish of the cowling 12 frommarring or scratching during the installation process. It is understoodthat the reference to being watertight may not be applicable in allcircumstances. In some cases the interior of the cowling 12 may itselfnot be watertight in all circumstances (such as the submersion of thepersonal watercraft or when the personal watercraft would be flippedupside down) thus the headlamp 20 of the present invention willsimilarly be exposed. The primary reference to being watertight stillapplies with respect to the spray and waves that would impact theexterior of the personal watercraft 10, and therefore the headlamp 20.The headlamp 20, as taught herein, would be substantially watertight inthat environment.

A part of the present invention includes the method for installing aheadlamp 20 (of the type taught herein) on a personal watercraft 10. Thesteps of the method include selecting a headlamp kit of the presentinvention, locating the headlamp 20 on the cowling 12 of the personalwatercraft 10 by gauging the fit between the housing 24 and the cowling12, locating the cowling mounting holes 54 to be drilled in the cowling12, drilling the cowling mounting holes 54, placing the gasket 28 in thelocation for the mounting onto the cowling 12, placing the housing 24 inthe location for the mounting on the cowling 12 by aligning the flangemounting holes 50 with the cowling mounting holes 54, fixing the housing24 to the cowling 12 by insertion of the mounting bolts 30 into theflange mounting holes 50 and the cowling mounting holes 54, and securingthem with the nuts 40, and connecting the wiring harness 60 to the powersupply of the personal watercraft 10. The installation should includeconsideration for an on/off switch (not shown) that is made accessibleto a user of the personal watercraft 10 as well as consideration for abackup battery 62 if desired.

The headlamp 20 of the present invention may feasibly include two suchassemblies that can be fitted onto a personal watercraft 10 if desired.The headlamp housing 24 may be fabricated from a plastic that is theresult of an injection molding process to form the desired shape. It maybe imparted with colors intended to match the colors of particularpersonal watercraft 10.

The teachings herein are not meant to limit or inhibit the scope of theinvention but are meant to illustrate its use which may be modified oraltered by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe concept as taught.

1. A headlamp for installation onto a personal watercraft, the headlampbeing mounted onto the cowling of the personal watercraft, the headlampcomprising: A lamp; A wiring harness; and, A housing with a lamp lens,where the housing is affixable onto the cowling of the personalwatercraft and where the wiring harness is connectable to the powersupply of the personal watercraft and allows for energizing the lamp atleast during the operation of the personal watercraft, where saidhousing includes a contoured base for compatible mounting onto thecowling, where the housing provides for the watertight retention of thelamp and the wiring harness therein.
 2. The headlamp of claim Number 1,where the headlamp assembly further includes a backup battery forpowering the lamp when the personal watercraft is not running.
 3. Theheadlamp of claim Number 1, where headlamp further includes a gasket forinstallation in between the housing and the cowling.
 4. The headlamp ofclaim Number 1, where the housing further includes mounting flanges withmounting holes that correspond to mounting holes in the cowling, andwhich receive mounting bolts for affixing the headlamp to the cowling.5. The headlamp of claim Number 1, where the cowling is further suppliedwith a conduit hole for communication of the wiring harness with thepower supply from the personal watercraft.
 6. A headlamp forinstallation onto a personal watercraft, the headlamp being mounted ontothe cowling of the personal watercraft, the headlamp comprising: A lamp;A wiring harness; and, A housing with a lamp lens, where the housingincludes mounting flanges with mounting holes that correspond tomounting holes in the cowling, and which receive mounting bolts foraffixing the headlamp to the cowling of the personal watercraft andwhere the wiring harness is connectable to the power supply of thepersonal watercraft and allows for energizing the lamp at least duringthe operation of the personal watercraft, where said housing includes acontoured base for compatible mounting onto the cowling, and a gasketfor compatible insertion in between the housing and the cowlingproviding for the watertight retention of the lamp and the wiringharness therein.
 7. The headlamp of claim Number 6, where the cowling isfurther supplied with a conduit hole for communication of the wiringharness with the power supply from the personal watercraft.
 8. Theheadlamp of claim Number 6, where the headlamp assembly further includesa backup battery for powering the lamp when the personal watercraft isnot running.
 9. A method for installing a headlamp onto the cowling of apersonal watercraft, the steps comprising: Selecting a headlamp kit forinstallation on a personal watercraft; Locating the headlamp on thecowling by gauging the fit between the housing of the headlamp and thecowling; Locating the cowling mounting holes to be drilled into thecowling; Drilling the cowling mounting holes; Placing the gasket inlocation for mounting on the cowling; Placing the housing in locationfor mounting on the cowling, where the housing includes mounting flangeswith mounting holes thereon, by aligning the flange mounting holes withthe cowling mounting holes; Fixing the housing to the cowling byinsertion of mounting bolts into the flange mounting holes and thecowling mounting holes and securing them with nuts; Locating a conduithole in the cowling for the communication of the wiring harness with therun for the power supply of the personal watercraft; Drilling theconduit hole for the wiring harness; and, Connecting the wiring harnessof the headlamp kit to the power supply of the personal watercraft andinstalling an on/off switch for access by a user.
 10. A method forinstalling a headlamp onto the cowling of a personal watercraft as inclaim Number 9, where the gasket includes holes corresponding to theflange and cowling mounting holes.
 11. A method for installing aheadlamp onto the cowling of a personal watercraft as in claim Number 9,where the headlamp kit includes a backup battery for powering theheadlamp when the personal watercraft is not running.